On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee held hearings on the proposal to repeal the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy in the military services. Top Defense Officials Seek to End ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’:
The nation’s top two defense officials called Tuesday for an end to the 16-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, a major step toward allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the United States military for the first time.
“No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,” Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
As a murmur swept through a hearing room packed with gay rights leaders, Admiral Mullen said it was his personal belief that “allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do.”
He is the first sitting chairman of the Joint Chiefs to support a repeal of the policy, and his forceful expression of his views seemed to catch not only gay rights leaders but also Senator Carl Lenin, the Michigan Democrat who is the committee’s chairman, by surprise.
Mr. Levin, who has long supported ending the law, told Admiral Mullen that his testimony was “eloquent” and praised him for leading on the issue.
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made clear that he was acting at the behest of President Obama, who reaffirmed his opposition to the existing law in his State of the Union address last week. Mr. Gates then threw the final decision back to the legislative branch.
“We have received our orders from the commander in chief, and we are moving out accordingly,” Mr. Gates told the committee. “However, we can also take this process only so far, as the ultimate decision rests with you, the Congress.”
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“I have served with homosexuals since 1968,” Admiral Mullen told the committee. He added, “Everybody in the military has, and we understand that.”
Senator John McCain of Arizona pronounced himself “deeply disappointed” in Mr. Gates. McCain said Secretary Gates’s testimony was “clearly biased” because of his not-if-but-when comments. He added that while the law was not perfect, its repeal was too much to ask of a military that is already under stress fighting two wars.
This is a major flip-flop for John McCain who is pandering to the far-right homophobic base of the GOP in a Senate primary with J.D. Hayworth. So much for his principles, or character, or honor.
John McCain said in October of 2006 on “Hardball” on MSNBC that he would listen to our military leaders as to what to do on Don't Ask Don't Tell:
And I understand the opposition to it, and I‘ve had these debates and discussions, but the day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, Senator, we ought to change the policy, then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it because those leaders in the military are the ones we give the responsibility to.
That day came Tuesday. But that was back when a Republican was Commander-in-Chief. IOKIYAR. Now the Democrat who whipped McCain's ass for the presidency is Commander-in-Chief. The GOP double-standard is now in effect.
John McCain's over-the-top grandstanding during yesterday's hearing once again demonstrated that this bitter old man lacks the sensibility, judgment and character that Arizonans should demand from their U.S. Senator.
John McCain would deny highly skilled and highly trained military personnel – like Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach below – who love their country and who have served with honor and distinction, the right to continue to serve their country at a time of two wars and a global terrorism threat simply because of their sexual orientation. This is a slap in the face to military personnel who have served their country honorably and with distinction. It dishonors their service, and demeans our military.
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The latest figures on discharges show that in fiscal year 2009, 428 service members were kicked out of the military under the terms of the 1993 so-called “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ law, which requires gay military members to keep their sexual orientation secret or risk expulsion.
The number of discharges last year was the lowest since the Pentagon began tabulating the annual data in 1996. The peak number of expulsions was 1,227 in 2001. Pentagon may ease ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ rules – The Boston Globe
More than 25 other nations with whom the United States military jointly operates as an ally or coalition partner long ago dropped their bans on homosexuals serving in the military. John McCain would perpetuate ignorance and discrimination in our military services and deny Americans who love their country the opportunity to serve their country. His position is inexcusable and indefensible.
UPDATE: Polls show that a majority of Americans support openly gay service — a majority did not in 1993 — but there have been no recent broad surveys of the 1.4 million active-duty personnel. In the most recent poll – conducted in May 2009 by Gallup – 69% favored allowing openly gay people to serve. Only 26% were opposed. Public Opinion Supports Repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
A December 2008 poll by The Military Times of predominantly Republican and largely older subscribers found that 58 percent opposed to efforts to repeal the policy. Military Times Poll Flawed | Palm Center
In 2006, a poll by Zogby International of 545 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans found that nearly three-quarters were comfortable around gay service members. Zogby International
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